44. TOPS – TERRESTRIAL OBSERVATION AND PREDICTION SYSTEM

It’s a modeling software system developed by NASA. It enables the daily monitoring and prediction of numerous biospheric variables that are important indicators of the events happening within the Earth system. It Integrates various technologies(information technology, weather/climate forecasting, ecosystem modeling, and satellite remote sensing) to enhance better decision making(related to floods, droughts, forest fires, human health, and crop, range, and forest production).

♤ It is designed to providenowcasts2 and forecasts services..

♤ In News: A senior Indian earth scientist from NASA, Ramakrishna Nemani, hailing from Hyderabad, has modified and adapted NASA technology to secure Indian farmers from risks of climate change like floods and droughts and ensure that crop insurance reaches the deserving farmer and not to undeserving farmers.

♤ The project recently received 15 months extension, after testing it in real world conditions for the past two years on pilot basis, by the Maharashtra government.

2The forecasting of the weather within the next six hours is often referred to as nowcasting